Summer is the perfect time for road trips to bizarre places you normally wouldn't go to, like Reno. In my opinion, Reno is a smaller and cheaper version of Las Vegas, yet it somehow still manages to preserve all the superficiality Las Vegas entails. However, I guess my preconceived notions of Reno as a tourist death trap were not entirely true, seeing how the less comercialized areas had some hidden gems that were fun to visit. Instead of going to the malls and outlets, I managed to convince my parents to visit the local thrift stores with me. I loved that I was able to share one of my biggest hobbies with them :)
The thrift shops in Reno were like candy stores for me, vintage items everywhere at affordable prices. I've long given up upon shopping at the vintage boutiques and vintage thrift stores in SF because of the outrageously overpriced items. So to cope, I normally thrift at the Goodwill's, Salvation Army's, and other local thrift stores, and resort to digging through all the rubble to find my own vintage items, or for that matter, anything to my liking. Unfortunately, most of the clothing selections are either from the reject corners of people's closets, or store brand clothing (such as Forever 21, Ann Taylor, H&M, Banana Republic, etc) that were in style two seasons ago. However, in Reno it's a completely different story. Vintage items are found in every corner, from handpicked vintage dresses, to old school stereosets, to vintage sewing kits, to the 1850's Sprite Centenial Collection, to vintage wedding dresses, to even vintage smoking pipes. There are also special sections in certain stores that have "bargin bins", in which you can buy a pound of goods for $1.25. This was where my dad helped me find Type 600 Polaroid film for $0.25, which was probably one of the best finds of the weekend :)
I spent a majority of my time gawking and drooling over all the amazingly beautiful pieces of history that cause me to wonder what amazing stories they had witnessed in their time. For me, that is probably the biggest lure to vintage items--not only are the items aesthetically beautiful, but they also preserve the stories of a time period left behind by the high speed and efficiency of industrialization. By the end of our trip, I managed to walk away with a new collection of mason jars for $0.30 a piece, a new picnic basket for $7, Type 600 Polaroid Film for $0.25, vintage overalls for $2.00, vintage U.S. Navy jacket for $3.50, vintage denim floral romper for $6. I would call this trip quite a success!
Here are the long rows of bargin bins that my dad and I dug through to find the Type 600 film. So much stuff!
I'm quite the sucker for old vinyl records. One day, I will own my own grafonola, but for now, vinyls serve as great inspiration for decor and DIY projects.
Um, I'll take one of everything please. This was hands down the cutest vintage boutique I've ever been to, and the prices were actually affordable too!
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